Georges St. Pierre Skeptical Paramount Broadcast Deal Benefits UFC Fighters

[Kung Fu Kowboy]

​

When Georges St. Pierre was at the top of his game, negotiating for a portion of pay-per-view revenue came with the territory.

As one of the UFC’s biggest stars, St. Pierre was a driving force behind pay-per-view buys for events that he would headline. Like many big names, the Canadian was paid for those sales through points — though the exact amount was rarely, if ever, revealed. Moving forward, pay-per-view points will be a thing of the past.

When the UFC announced its new rights agreement with Paramount on Monday, one of the most noteworthy points of the deal was the elimination of pay-per-view cards. Starting in 2026, all numbered UFC events will be available through Paramount+ or CBS.

While the numbers of the deal — seven years, $7.7 billion — are astronomical, St. Pierre isn’t so sure that it’s a positive for fighters on the UFC roster.

GSP: Fighters Could Lose Leverage with New Deal​

“It could be good for the UFC, as a promoter, but terrible for the fighters because when I was competing I was able to have a great argument to negotiate on my contract,” St. Pierre told Covers. “I could tell the UFC, ‘Hey, if you want me to do all the promotion, I want to become a partner. I want a piece of the pie to negotiate a part of the pay-per-view revenue. Because if I’m doing all the promotion, I’m helping you, but you need to help me. You need to make me a partner.’ So it might be a bad thing for the fighters in a way that they have less leverage.

“That’s what I think. I think it’s going to take off some leverage for the big names to have an argument to negotiate more money.”

St. Pierre hasn’t fought since November 2017, when he defeated Michael Bisping in the UFC 217 main event to capture the middleweight crown. In addition to St. Pierre, other top stars such as Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar were believed to receive pay-per-view points once buys for an event exceeded a certain amount.

READ HERE

Georges St. Pierre Skeptical Paramount Broadcast Deal Benefits UFC Fighters

When Georges St. Pierre was at the top of his game, negotiating for a portion of pay-per-view revenue came with the territory.

www.sherdog.com

Spoiler

@HHJ

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[don't ask]

I agree. This is bad for the fighters and, consequently, bad for the sport.

 

[TheBulletwithWings]

 

[Chubi]

"It's not a career, it's an opportunity."

-Kenny FLorian

 

[PeterGriffin]

Hopefully as a consequence the fighters actually start an association to ensure they get some leverage in their corner when it comes to negotiations. They're going to need it. One fight deals, with immediate free-agency at the end of the fight. Let all the organizations that can shop around and pay what they're willing for a fighter's services. Let the actual market determine their value instead of the UFC's lawyers and bean-counters.

 

[Mind Mine]

Why would anyone in their right mind believe this is about benefiting the fighters? TTo be fair the UFC never claimed it was being done to increase fighter pay or leverage to my knowledge. Georges stating the obvious

 

[nostradumbass]

Who cares? PPVs weren't good for the fans and there are more of them than there are PPV main event fighters. The sport's popularity has already been going backwards for years where they almost never get over 1M PPVs buys anymore where they used to have a couple every year. You can't complain that they aren't building stars like they used to, then say that any new fans interesting in watching should have to fork over $80 just to see a decent card. They seemed to attract more new fans from 2011-2018 when they had free PPV quality cards on Fox for several years that would then start watching more.

 

[ChrisBenoit]

I don't care what GSP thinks

 

[downthepines]

GSP knows very well how shady the UFC is. He knows first hand. GSP was never Dana's friend. And good on him.

 

[markg171]

That argument made a lot more sense back when PPVs were the only way to watch the fights, and when PPV numbers were still relatively strong in general.

I don't know if the UFC is replacing it with another type of bonus (viewers?), but GSP's coming from a place where you might sell 1M PPVs and therefore get a substantial pay boost from PPVs. Those days are gone and have been for awhile. The bonus on the like 300k cards are doing isn't the same gamechanger.

And I know we're cynical about it, but the UFC does have a guaranteed $1.1B / year to deploy now that they didn't have before. Let's see how that's deployed.

 

[usernamee]

Where does GSP get off throwing out this baseless skepticism towards the UFC's new deal??

 

[Mr.Maelstrom]

I mean, duh... lol

They just moved to Paramount, they didn't replace the entire board of directors or anything.

Tbf Idk what fighters or fans expect at this point?
There's no rights deal in the world that would force UFC to restructure pay

 

[Get To Da Choppa]

​

When Georges St. Pierre was at the top of his game, negotiating for a portion of pay-per-view revenue came with the territory.

As one of the UFC’s biggest stars, St. Pierre was a driving force behind pay-per-view buys for events that he would headline. Like many big names, the Canadian was paid for those sales through points — though the exact amount was rarely, if ever, revealed. Moving forward, pay-per-view points will be a thing of the past.

When the UFC announced its new rights agreement with Paramount on Monday, one of the most noteworthy points of the deal was the elimination of pay-per-view cards. Starting in 2026, all numbered UFC events will be available through Paramount+ or CBS.

While the numbers of the deal — seven years, $7.7 billion — are astronomical, St. Pierre isn’t so sure that it’s a positive for fighters on the UFC roster.

GSP: Fighters Could Lose Leverage with New Deal​

“It could be good for the UFC, as a promoter, but terrible for the fighters because when I was competing I was able to have a great argument to negotiate on my contract,” St. Pierre told Covers. “I could tell the UFC, ‘Hey, if you want me to do all the promotion, I want to become a partner. I want a piece of the pie to negotiate a part of the pay-per-view revenue. Because if I’m doing all the promotion, I’m helping you, but you need to help me. You need to make me a partner.’ So it might be a bad thing for the fighters in a way that they have less leverage.

“That’s what I think. I think it’s going to take off some leverage for the big names to have an argument to negotiate more money.”

St. Pierre hasn’t fought since November 2017, when he defeated Michael Bisping in the UFC 217 main event to capture the middleweight crown. In addition to St. Pierre, other top stars such as Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar were believed to receive pay-per-view points once buys for an event exceeded a certain amount.

READ HERE

Georges St. Pierre Skeptical Paramount Broadcast Deal Benefits UFC Fighters

When Georges St. Pierre was at the top of his game, negotiating for a portion of pay-per-view revenue came with the territory.

www.sherdog.com

Spoiler

@HHJ

@fujitsugroundnpound

@Neck&Neck
@Arqueto @BroRogan @Carl Drogo @lsa
@StonedLemur @Fight Professor @TerrorTimmy @Elvis. @ryun253 @don't ask @C0NCH3TO @MEAN357 @Cooliox @mudrubble @Bobby Boulders @Simple Southerner @svmr_db @Luthien @BoxerMaurits @Neck&Neck @SeattleFightFan @Ares Black @SalvadorAllende @Arm Barbarian @Blanqa Blanqua @Royce's Gi @Cooliox @Krixes @MXZT @wisdom blows @nonoob @Mohawk Banditó @JKS @SuperNerd @2004 account @Mammothman @Bushwhacker B @Siver! @TITS @Cowboy Kurt Angle @Jose Beehive @MEAN357 @NoBiasJustMMA @FlyingDeathKick @Doughie99 @13Seconds @CPH @Kenny Powerth @OldBoy91 @Kryptt @Paynebringer @HI SCOTT NEWMAN @Poirierfan @SenorFranko @MMALOPEZ @Hellowhosthat @Get To Da Choppa @BangBang @Substance Abuse @John makfresshi @Islam Imamate @Wong_Wongster_Irish @TCE @Jackonfire @helax @Iroh

Slowly but surely the UFC is taking away the fighters' ability to control their financial future. A few years ago it was banning all non Reebok sponsors and making them wear uniforms, and now it's the lack of PPV split.

With the streaming format it's more imperative that the UFC fighters have something like the players union in the major leagues so they can get a better share of the revenue, now that the PPV model is gone

 

[Lycandroid]

good for prelim fighters looking to make a name for themselves while collecting a better base pay, but with main event fighters I highly doubt the UFC is going to be willing to increase purses to make up for PPV points

 

[xhaydenx]

The UFC aren't doing this deal to try and benefit the fighters lol.

 

[560ti]

That argument made a lot more sense back when PPVs were the only way to watch the fights, and when PPV numbers were still relatively strong in general.

I don't know if the UFC is replacing it with another type of bonus (viewers?), but GSP's coming from a place where you might sell 1M PPVs and therefore get a substantial pay boost from PPVs. Those days are gone and have been for awhile. The bonus on the like 300k cards are doing isn't the same gamechanger.

And I know we're cynical about it, but the UFC does have a guaranteed $1.1B / year to deploy now that they didn't have before. Let's see how that's deployed.

Exactly. The alternative is PPVs selling like crap and being stuck on ESPN which is like half the money as this new deal. I'd be skeptical of that more so being on national TV

 

[snugglecakes]

yeah no PPV points has been awful for those poor NFL players making infinity dollars a year

 

[Tweak896]

Well fans win and fighters lose. I'll take the win over going back to PPV. Sucks, but it's not the only way athletes ever got paid before. Hopefully not having PPVs opens the sport up more and new eyes can watch. Eventually it'll roll down to the fighters. Just PPV points are likely going away.

 

[Qays Stetkevich]

Who cares? PPVs weren't good for the fans and there are more of them than there are PPV main event fighters. The sport's popularity has already been going backwards for years where they almost never get over 1M PPVs buys anymore where they used to have a couple every year. You can't complain that they aren't building stars like they used to, then say that any new fans interesting in watching should have to fork over $80 just to see a decent card. They seemed to attract more new fans from 2011-2018 when they had free PPV quality cards on Fox for several years that would then start watching more.

The Fox deal brought a TON of new fans.

ESPN charging 90 bucks for a one-off mediocre PPV (and/or mandatory attached ESPN+ sub). . . not so much.

 

[don't ask]

Why would anyone in their right mind believe this is about benefiting the fighters? TTo be fair the UFC never claimed it was being done to increase fighter pay or leverage to my knowledge. Georges stating the obvious

The question is if it will harm the fighters.